As we approach the final episode of FX on Hulu’s hit miniseries,Shōgun, fans are wondering when they’ll see something of its caliber again. The project’s creators,Rachel KondoandJustin Marks, who facilitated the seriesjumping off the pages of James Clavell’s 1975 novelonto screensfor a second time,have been clearthat the upcoming tenth episode will not only be the Season 1 finale but also the series finale. But, what’s next for the creative team who gave the networkone of the biggest premieres of its existence? In an interview with Collider’sCarly Lane, theShōgunco-creators shared whether they have any other irons in the fire when it comes to Clavell’s sprawling repertoire.
Both Marks and Kondo were quick to answer Lane when she asked if they were looking for potential in other books of the six-title saga, with Marks revealing:
“I gotta say, apropos of nothing,we are really diggingTai-Pan. It’s a great book. I picked it up to just see, ‘Can he strike lightning twice?’ And it’s like, ‘Oh my god, he’s such a great writer that even this is great for entirely different reasons.” So, sure,maybe we’ll doTai-Pansomeday. It’s only a half-joke at this point, but who knows? I haven’t gotten to the end. But I think, truth be told, when it comes toShōgunand those stories, it’s not that we wouldn’t, it’s just that if we did, it would have to be better than the book, and I don’t know if that story exists.”
Clarifying where her creative partner and husband’s response landed, Kondo said, “The history exists,” with Marks adding:
“Yeah. And I think I’d be lying if I said that when we were all sitting on set at various times, we weren’tdoing our own fanfiction fantasiesof what it would be to tell certain stories sideways, orprequels, or maybe things that happened afterwards.”
Kondo already has her own idea for a story she’d like to see as she jokingly tossed out the thought of droppingTadanobu Asano’s “Yabushige in London,” with Marks confirming, “Yeah, exactly. Things like that.”
Kondo and Marks Want Their Adaptations To Be Better Than the Books
Both co-creators ofShōgunview what they wereable to accomplish with the miniseriesas a huge gift, with Marks’ words almost echoing his description of Clavell’s writing as lightning striking twice.Because of the success they achieved, Marks explains they want to be very careful moving forward to ensure they would do right by the fans and make something not just worth watching but something even better than the books. He said:
“I don’t know if any of these are necessarily better than what was told, and I think to do it, — honestly, this is the sober, candid thing —it would have to be better.I’m not going to say, ‘Well we could never find that,’ but I’m certainly sayingwe don’t have that now. Maybe I’m also saying it keeps me up at night sometimes, but it would have to be better.”
All nine episodes ofShōgunare streaming on Hulu with thefinale to arrive today, April 23. Stay tuned for our full conversation with Marks and Kondo.
Shogun (2024)
When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, Lord Yoshii Toranaga discovers secrets that could tip the scales of power and devastate his enemies.
